Backrooms record-breaking – Backrooms topped the global box office this weekend, posting A24’s biggest opening-weekend haul in 14 years—nearly triple the indie studio’s prior record from 2025—while its director Kane Parsons, 20, became the youngest filmmaker to land a No. 1 opening world
Panic at the box office hit fast—right as Backrooms rolled in and tore through pre-release expectations.
The horror film finished first globally for the weekend. summarily destroying projections and setting records that are likely to be hard to match. It also kept A24 in the spotlight for a second week in a row. with holdover hit Curry Barker’s Obsession still climbing—delivering another weekend-on-weekend increase in revenue and ending the chart in second place.
For Backrooms, the numbers were the story. The film delivered the biggest opening-weekend haul in the 14-year history of indie outfit A24. grossing nearly thrice as much as the previous record-holder. Marty Supreme’s opening weekend haul from 2025. Backrooms also marked a personal milestone for its director. Kane Parsons. who became the youngest filmmaker ever to deliver a number one opening at the global box office. At 20, Parsons is younger than the previous record-holder, Josh Trank, who was 27 when Chronicle debuted at the top spot.
Parsons is still not old enough to drink, but Backrooms has already pushed him into a different kind of league. The film is a $10 million horror. and its domestic debut reached a range comparable to Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two. and James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash. Backrooms is based on Parsons’ web-series of the same name. The lead roles are played by Oscar nominees Renate Reinsve and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
On the critic side, Backrooms opened to excellent reviews. It holds a “Certified Fresh” 89% score on Rotten Tomatoes. where the critics’ consensus reads. “A startlingly assured feature debut from director Kane Parsons. Backrooms bends the liminal spaces that have haunted the internet for years into a horror film that’s as mesmerizing as it is terrifying.”.
Collider’s Aidan Kelley matched that enthusiasm in his review. writing. “The slow burn of Alfred Hitchcock. the surreal visuals of David Lynch. and the human stakes of Stanley Kubrick are all on full display here. making for one of the unique and intriguing horror properties of the decade. let alone of the year.”.
Backrooms also proved the business side could move even faster than forecasts. The film was initially projected to make around $25 million in its opening weekend. a figure that was later increased to $45 million and then $75 million. Instead, the movie grossed $81 million in its domestic debut and just under $120 million worldwide.
Backrooms is scheduled for release on May 27, 2026, with a runtime of 110 minutes. The director of the film is Kane Parsons.
Backrooms A24 Kane Parsons Curry Barker's Obsession box office global opening weekend Rotten Tomatoes Certified Fresh Renate Reinsve Chiwetel Ejiofor Marty Supreme Josh Trank Chronicle Oppenheimer Dune: Part Two Avatar: Fire and Ash